The series finale of Game of Thrones remains one of the more disappointing endings for a television series, and it seems that fans are not the only ones who imagined it wrapping up a little differently.
Speaking to PBS in Chicago, author George R.R. Martin revealed that the finale was not exactly what he had in mind.
“Looking back, I wish I had stayed ahead of the books,” Martin said. “My biggest issue there is when they began the series, I had four books already in print, and the fifth one came out just as the series was starting in 2011. I had a five-book head-start, and these are gigantic books, as you know.
“I never thought they would catch up with me, but they did. They caught up with me and passed me.”
He continued, “That made it a little strange because now the show was ahead of me and going in a somewhat different direction. So, I’m still working on the book, but you’ll see my ending when that comes out.”
The author is still working on the next instalment in the series of books that made him a household name and spawned the award-winning HBO series.
The show recently celebrated its tenth anniversary, with the Russian jewellery house Fabergé going so far as to produce a one-of-a-king “commemorative egg object” to commemorate the occasion. The egg, which featured diamond accents represented “the tale of Daenerys Targaryen’s quest to take her place on the Iron Throne” and came with the hefty price tag of USD $2.2 million.
Those waiting impatiently for Martin to finally deliver The Winds of Winter will likely be waiting even longer, as it was announced in March 2021, that the author was turning his attention to a stage show which would bring his cast of fantasy characters to the stage in 2023.
The production is currently in development with an official description reading, “The play will for the first time take audiences deeper behind the scenes of a landmark event that previously was shrouded in mystery.
“Featuring many of the most iconic and well-known characters from the series, the production will boast a story centred around love, vengeance, madness and the dangers of dealing in prophecy, in the process revealing secrets and lies that have only been hinted at until now.”
At the time the play was announced, Martin released a statement in which he said, “The seeds of war are often planted in times of peace. Few in Westeros knew the carnage to come when highborn and smallfolk alike gathered at Harrenhal to watch the finest knights of the realm compete in a great tourney, during the Year of the False Spring.
“It is a tourney oft referred during HBO’s Game of Thrones, and in my novels, A Song of Ice & Fire … and now, at last, we can tell the whole story… on the stage.”
In addition to that, there is currently numerous Game of Thrones spinoffs in the works, including the upcoming HBO prequel series, House of the Dragon, which is expected to arrive in 2022 and revolving around the story of House Targaryen back when Daenerys’ ancestors ruled Westeros.The only catch for the book enthusiasts? Martin is involved in that series too, so his attention will once more be diverted from writing.
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